Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were first discovered by scientists at NEC and IBM in 1993. Today SWNTs are synthesized by three main methods: arc discharge, pulsed laser vaporization, and chemical vapor deposition. The growing interest in SWNTs for applications and for fundamental science demands new approaches and flexibility for the synthesis. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is considered by many to be the only viable approach for a large scale production of SWNTs. As a result, research is underway to optimize the CVD approach, i.e., to investigate the effect of the catalyst composition, variation of supporting/substrate materials, synthesis temperature and hydrocarbon gases. Co—Mo metal catalysts have been found recently to be able to selectively produce SWNTs at 700° C. using carbon monoxide as the carbon source. Fe/Mo bimetallic catalysts have also been evaluated for SWNT production from methane at high temperatures 900° C. Synthesis of SWNTs at temperatures between 700 and 850° C. by catalytic decomposition of carbon monoxide and ethylene on alumina supported Fe/Mo catalysts has also been reported.